by Lance T. Izumi, Fellow in California Studies
Pacific Research Institute
February, 1999

Announcer lead: Time for Perspectives. Lance Izumi says that there is little evidence to show that teacher peer review works.

When Gov. Gray Davis rolled out his recent teacher evaluation proposal, he claimed that it would substantially improve education in California. Is there any real evidence, however, to support the governor's optimism?

Under Davis' proposal, school districts would be encouraged to use specially chosen mentor teachers to evaluate the competence of their colleagues. The details of this peer review system would be worked out through collective bargaining between school districts and the teachers unions.

The Davis proposal, unfortunately, is likely destined to neither improve teacher performance nor student achievement. Why? According to Dr. Myron Lieberman, a national expert on teacher peer review and author of a recent book on the subject, the problem involves accountability. Dr. Lieberman defines accountability as the imposition of negative consequences, such as being fired, on individuals who fail to act competently. In the education employment context, Dr. Lieberman says teachers who perform badly must suffer adverse consequences personally as a result of their actions.

Teacher peer review systems, however, usually do not impose negative consequences on individual incompetent teachers. Take, for instance, the highly publicized teacher peer review program in Toledo, Ohio. In a twelve-year period, less than one percent of Toledo's tenured teachers retired, resigned or were fired through the peer review process. Indeed, no evidence has ever been produced to show that student performance in Toledo or anywhere else has gone up because of teacher peer review.

Under Davis' proposal, bargaining between school districts and teachers unions will likely result not in increased terminations of incompetent teachers, but in more teacher assistance programs, such as additional professional development classes. The governor's plan, therefore, ultimately fails to impose any true accountability on teachers. Without such accountability, there can be little hope for any real improvement in California's public schools.

With a perspective, I'm Lance Izumi.